Painted escutcheons

NFPA 25 table A 3.3.7 it states that any concealed plates painted shall be . My question is semi recessed in the horizontal position or in a vertical position, 401 two-piece plateand one piece plates Do they have to be replaced if they're painted I interpreted they do not have to

Escutcheons are part of the listed sprinkler head and cannot be alternated after installation. See 2017 NFPA 25: 3.2.3 for how the standard defines listed.

Each manufacturer of fire sprinkler heads designs escutcheons specific to that particular head. There are hundreds of individual size Escutcheons within the three common types of fire sprinkler escutcheons. The only way to get the right one is to know the manufacturer brand and model number of the fire sprinkler head.

The escutcheons show in the previous post may be inaccurate, since they must listed by the manufacturer for brand and the model number of the sprinkler head.

Manufacturer escutcheons are installed with the installation of the sprinkler heads themselves. Escutcheons need to be replaced if they become damaged (bent or separated), rusted, discolored, or painted. That’s right, just like sprinkler heads, escutcheons may not be painted. Although, they are available in multiple factory finishes.

From my fire safety inspection experience, if I were to observe that the sprinkler escutcheons had coatings other than what the manufacture had applied, a inspection and maintenance deficiency would be cited under 2017 NFPA 25: 5.2.1.1.1 and/or 5.4.4.1.6. The approved plan of correction must have a replacement escutcheon listed by sprinkler manufacturer.